The veteran has been granted service connection for a low back disability, including as secondary to his already service-connected right knee disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the veteran's recurrent low back pain is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected right knee disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) at the L4-L5 level, Recurrent low back pain
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 6, 2006
- Citation
- 0609998
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0609998.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has ordered a remand to clarify the relationship between the Veteran's current low back condition and his service, including whether it was aggravated by service. The examiner is asked to provide an opinion on whether the Veteran's current low back condition is related to his in-service leg length discrepancy.
- Granted
The Veteran's initial claim for a higher rating for his low back disability was granted, but he is still seeking an increased rating.
- Dismissed
The Board has received notification from the appellant that they wish to withdraw their appeal, leading to its dismissal.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the veteran's recurrent low back pain with left lumbar radiculopathy warrants a disability rating of 40 percent, effective from the date of the decision.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.